On Saturday 9th May, we held an event to celebrate VE-Day (Victory in Europe Day) on its 70th anniversary. Good numbers of visitors joined in the event, including the Mayor and Mayoress of Colchester and Sir Bob Russell. It was a really interesting and very different open day at the site of the Roman circus! Visitors were able to look at the small exhibition, including a selection of wartime films, a wartime soundscape and a short, entertaining video by the Royal British Legion explaining VE-Day; relax with refreshments in the cafe in the Trust’s 1937 barracks NAAFI building; take part in two guided tours of the old garrison; talk to keen members of the local Restore & Display Military Vehicle Group who brought six great WW2 Jeeps, a WW2 motorbike and two collections of militaria to the event, with several volunteers in wartime military uniform (visitors could even sit in the Jeeps); and enjoy the lively jiving of two dancers from the A2Jive group, followed by the outdoor concert with two soloists and a jazz quintet.
On VE-Day, the 8th May 1945, the day marking the end of the war in Europe, wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill addressed the crowds in Whitehall in London and said:
‘… God bless you all. This is your victory!
It is the victory of the cause of freedom in every land.
In all our long history, we have never seen a greater day than this.
Everyone, man or woman, has done their best. Everyone has tried …
My dear friends, this is your hour …’.
VE-Day was a day of great celebrations all over Britain and in Allied countries across the world, so our event was a celebration of the end of the war in Europe. The event was dedicated to everyone who served in the Allied forces or who contributed in Allied countries during the war.
Thanks to everyone who came to celebrate VE-Day 70 with us, and we hope you enjoyed it! Many thanks to everyone who contributed so much to the day: all the volunteers – Howard and Don, Rose, Shirley, Peter Hall, John Hillyard and the members of the vehicle group, A2Jive, and Peter Ward: and the performers – soloists Natasha Bennett and Fiona Morris, and the Tendring Thunderbirds quintet. Thanks also to the East Anglian Film Archive and to the Royal British Legion for permission to use their material, to Tim Dennis, Trust volunteer Shirley Hillyard and Trust Council of Management member Janet Fulford for their contributions, and to Jess Jephcott for his help. Thanks to the Trust for letting us use Roman Circus House to celebrate VE-Day 70. We are very grateful to the Hervey Benham Charitable Trust for their generous grant towards the event.
The images show: Roman Circus House with some of our visitors; some impromptu dancing by A2Jive; visitors trying some of our WW2-themed hats and helmets; the start of one of the guided tours with Peter Hall; the Mayor and Mayoress of Colchester in John Hillyard’s WW2 Jeep; the display of all six WW2 Jeeps; our glamorous soloists Fiona and Natasha performing in the sunshine; the Tendring Thunderbirds quintet; and ‘flying the flag’.
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